Improvement in hoisting apparatus



HENRY FLAD AND JAMES B. EADS, OE STfLOUISpMISSOURI,

Letters Patent No. 111,188, dated January 24, 1871.

-|MPROVEMVENT- IN HQISTING APPARATUS.

The Schedule referreclto in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

We, HENRY FLAI) and JAMES B, EADS, bot-h of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a certain improved Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Nature and Object of thc Intention.

The first part of' ohr invention consists in an arrangement by which a single rope or chain is conibined with a pulley-carriage, upon au elevated horizontal track and a hydraulic ram, or equivalent mechanism, to enable the raising of a stone or other load in any position of` the carriage upon its track.

The second part of .our invention consists in combining with the aforesaid devices a drum, around which a portion of the-rope or chain is coiled, (to give it a frictional hold thereon,) so that, on the said drum being caused to rotate in either direction, the rope is taken up on one side and unwound. upon the other, and causes the horizontal movement of the Ypulleyi carriage, as hereafter explained.

'Description of the Drawing.

Figure l'is a front view ot' an apparatus .illustrating our invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the rain.

Figure 3 is a top view of the drum, reversing-clutch, and brake, a portion at the upper part of the miterwheel being broken away to exhibit the brake.

Figure 4 is a diagram, showing a modification of our apparatus.

General Description.

A is the main frame.

B is a drum, around which a' portion of the hoistinff-ro'pe is coiled. Y

L is a ruiter-wheel, xed to one en'd of thc drum.

D and E are two pnions engaging with the miterivheel 0,'and turning loosely on'a shaft, E, which may receive continuous rotation from any suitable 1notor.

rlhe tubular hubs of the `pinions D and E have notches, d and e, to receive the teeth g g' of a slidingclutch collar Gr, which has longitudinal motion on the shaft F, but is caused to turn therewith by a featherkey or other means. y

The collar G has acircumferential groove, h', which receives astud, hr, upon the lever H, by which the said clutch-collar is caused to slide on the' shaft, to engage the tooth g in the notch d, or the tooth g in the notch c', according as it is `required to rotate the drum in one' or the other-direction, by vmeans of the pjnions D or E and unter-wheel C.

At the end of the lever H is journaled a horizontal roller, I, which, when the clutch is disengaged from bothl pinion's, presses against the most salient part of a doubly-inclined projection, c', of an annular rbrake-plate, c, and presses the brake-plate againstthe lside or web ot' the nJiter-wh'eel G, to prevent the rotation of the drum.

J and K are upwardly and outwardly-extending arms of the frame, whose upper ends are connected by the horizontal track L of thel pulley-carriage M.

The pulley-carriage has journalcd in its upper part tw'o pulleys, N N', which are grooved at their peripheries toemhrace the track L, upon which they run, giving support to the carriage.

In the lower part4 of the carriage are journaled two grooved pulleys, O O', over which pass the ends of the hoisting-rope. V

P is the cylinder of a hydraulic ram, firmly attached to the frame A, and having journaledat its lower end two or more pulleys, Q Q.

It is the plunger of the ram, having at its head two or more pulleys, S S', similar to the pulleys Q Q.

Journaled to the arms J K, at thesame elevation as the pulleys O O', are the pulleys T U.. p

V is the hook to which the' ends of the hoistingrope are attached, and to which the load is hung.

The rope or chain is applied to the apparatus as follows: l

.Beginning at the hook V, the end l extends to and over the pulley -O, then over the pulley U, then under the pulley Q, then over the pulley S, then under and around the drum B, 011 which it is coiledv suiciently to give a frictional hold. From the drum the rope passes up to and around the pulley S', then nnder the pulley Q', then over the pulley T, then over the pulley O, and to the hook V,1to which both ends are attached. The stretches of the rope from pulley to pulley are marked numerically, to show the course of therope more clearly. The rope pulleys are all grooved circumferentially, for the retention of the rope.

The number of pulleys in the sets Q Q' and S S' may be increased to any desired extent, 'so as totake up a greater length of rope for an equal mbvement of the plunger, and to increase theplay of the hoistinghook.

In operating ourapparatus, the load is secured to the hook V, and the hydraulic ram put in operation, so as to drive the plunger upward and increase the distance between the sets 'of pulleys Q Q at the foot of the cylinder', and the set S S' at the head of thel plunger, thus increasing the length of the stretches' 45 6 7 of the rope, and shortening the stretches 1 and l0 betw en the pulleys O O and the hook V, and drawing up e load toward the carriage M. When the load is suicieutlylelevated, or even during the elevating of the load, the lever H may be moved to the right or left, which releases the brake c and allows the drum B to turn. One of the pinions D Eis simultaneously clutched to the shaft F, and communicates motion from the shaft to the drum (the shaft F lbeing supposed to be in continuous rotation). The drum by'its rotation draws upa portion of the rope upon one side and releases alike quantity on the other side, and gives horizontal motion to the carriage M. Thus supposing the tooth g to engage in the notch (l, (as shown in the drawing, and the shaft F- having rotation in direction shown 'by the arrow,)v the pinion D will turn with the shaft F, and cause the 'drum B to draw down the rope on the stretch marked 5. This would cause the carriage to move to the right. When the proper point is reached, the lever is brought at right angles' with the shaft .14, and the clutch is released, the brake being at the same time applied, by the pressure of the roller I, against the inclined project-ion c' of the brake-plate c. The load is caused to descend by allowing the water to escape from the cylinder of the ram, and the plunger to descend.

vBy operating with the ramand the drum simultaneously, the load may be moved obliquely either vn'p-- Y ward or downward.

We have described the vertical movements of the load as being accomplished by means of a hydraulic ram, but this is not necessary, as the two sets ofvpul@ leys Q Q and S S may be made to recede or approach by means of a screw or rack and pinion, -ollin any other manner found to answer thepurpose; so that we do not connue ourselves tol the use of hydraulic power in hoisting. The set of pulleys S S' is described as being vertically above the set Q Q,'but this is not necessary, as the sets may be on the same level.

In place of one drum B we may use lt'wo drums, one end o'f the rope being coiled around each drum,

and the hook V being attached to the middle of thev rope. In this case, supposing the rope to be coiled in the saine direction on'both drums, they would be rotated in opposite directions to canse the horizontalv movement of the carriagel M; and the drums may be connected by cog-wheels, to insure an equal and opposite rotation.

If preferred, the two vdrums B B may be disconnected, so 'as to operate independently, and, in this case, the pulleys Q Q S Sniay be dispensed with, as

the horizontal, vertical, or oblique movements of thc load can all be accomplished bymeans of the two drums B B', pulleys T U, and pulley-carriage M, (see diagram, g. 4, where the ropes are shown coiled on the drums in opposite directions.)

In using' this modification, if thc rope is simultaneously wound uponboth drums, the load is raised vertically;l if the rope is wound up on one drum and nnwound from theother, the load hashorizontal movement; and if the-latter drurn is then brought to a stand, the load will move obliquely upward; by thcnreversing lthe 'rotation of the winding-np drum, the load descends obliquely.

Ve do not conne onrselves'to any particular form of frame, as thesame would be modified to suit the circumstances of the case; nor do we conne our' selves to any particular driving or reversing-mechanism for the drum or drums.

Claims.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination of the pulleys Q Q' and S S', receding and approaching by means substantially as shown, pulleys T U, and pulley-carriage M, enabling the vertical movement ofv the load by a single rope, irrespective of the 'position of the carriage upon Vits track L, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the pulleys lQ Q' S S', operating substantially as described, the pulleys T U, and the pulley-carriage M, the drum B, for causing' the horizontal movement of the position of the carriage without interfering with the horizontal movement of thc load.

In testimony of which invention wev hereunto set our hands. l

'HENRY FLAD. JAS. B. EADS. v

Witnesses:

SMIL. KNIGHT, Gso. O. FABIAN. 

